[BPSDB] Spinning numbers in more ways than one. The explanation of the science is correct, and the purpose of the counter seems admirable. But of course, the supposed precision of the numbers is spurious. (It grates on this former science lecturer, who used to have to explain why all the digits output on a calculator were just not significant.)
But, if the figure was displayed to a reasonable precision (maybe hundreds of millions of tons?), you just would not see the display updating. The whole point of the display is to convey how we are recklessly pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, with consequences that can be calculated, but with further consequences that cannot be foreseen. In this case, spin actually conveys the message more vividly, through an appeal to feeling (seeing the numbers changing creates a sense of unease and restlessness) and an implicit call to action, rather than a logical appreciation of the figures and their scientific implications.
Evening person 